Men badly injured in basement fire in Newark

December 25, 2009 8:40:08 AM PST

Eyewitness News

NEWARK --

Two Newark men were badly burned when fire broke out in their basement apartment, which may have been illegally converted. Eyewitness News is told the men were pulled from the basement apartment on Pacific Street just after 2:30 a.m. Christmas morning.

Both were badly burned.

Officials say they were rushed to the burn unit at St. Barnabas Medical Center in West Orange in critical condition.

The men were reportedly living in the basement apartment, which investigators suspect was illegally converted.

Other residents of the house, including two children, were treated for smoke inhalation.